Asia-Pacific Journal of Public Health最新文献

Tobacco control is significantly influenced by smoking cessation interventions led by health care providers. However, the experiences of these providers in counseling are not sufficiently explored. This qualitative study, embedded within an Smoking Cessation Organizing, Planning & Execution (SCOPE) training effectiveness evaluation, delves into the barriers and facilitators encountered in addressing tobacco use at health clinics. We conducted Focus Group Discussions with 38 health care providers, including doctors, pharmacists, nurses, and medical assistants, across six locations. The transcripts were inductively coded to develop themes. Identified challenges encompassed time constraints, lack of cessation skills, patient default rates, and resource inadequacy. On the contrary, strong rapport, patient readiness to quit, service promotion, and dedicated clinics emerged as facilitators. The study emphasizes that health care providers face barriers at multiple levels-provider, patient, and organizational. Capitalizing on the identified facilitators could improve smoking cessation intervention efforts. The improvement of quit-smoking clinics necessitates strategic inputs from a diverse range of stakeholders.

Continuously high infection rates of the Severe acute respiratory virus-2 (SARS-Cov-2) may lead to the emergence of new strains. Preventative behavior such as wearing masks and hand hygiene are required to stop transmission, but there is concern that the perceived efficacy of vaccines could elicit risk compensation, leading to a decrease in preventative behavior. A convenience sample of 315 vaccinated Indonesian adults (mean age 36.2 years, 61% female) participated in this cross-sectional online study, completing measures of risk perception, social norm, perceived vaccine efficacy, pandemic fatigue, demographic characteristics, and preventative behavior between March and May 2022. Hierarchical regression of preventative behavior showed that perceived vaccine efficacy was a significant positive instead of negative predictor, thus providing no evidence for risk compensation (β = .154, P = .002). Potential explanations, implications and suggestions for further study are discussed.

The COVID-19 pandemic reduced social contact, causing social isolation, which is dependent on risk perception-a motivation for social distancing. While studies have examined risk perception as a dual process, its application to real-world risk situations is unexplored. This study investigated the relationships between risk perception, social contact changes, and social isolation during COVID-19. A nationwide cross-sectional sample of 804 adults completed computer-assisted telephone interviews. The main variables were social isolation (face-to-face and non-face-to-face) and risk perception (affective and cognitive). Data were analyzed using analysis of variance, logistic regression models, and multinomial logistic regression models. Affective and cognitive risk perceptions were associated with changes in face-to-face and non-face-to-face social contact. Only affective risk perception was associated with social isolation. Thus, social isolation is a health-related concept, higher levels are associated with poorer mental and physical health. In addition, the isolation-reduction recommendations put forth have important well-being-improvement implications.

Using data from the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, this research systematically examines the spatiotemporal trends of depressive disorder and anxiety disorders among adolescents aged 15 to 19 years across 48 Asian countries/regions from 2016 to 2021. Pre-pandemic (2016-2019), South Asia, Southeast Asia, and West Asia exhibited significant mental disorder prevalence (eg, Iraq's anxiety disorder rate reached 7.79% in 2019). The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated mental health deterioration, particularly in East Asia (eg, Japan's anxiety rate rose from 3.78% to 4.29%) and high-baseline regions (India, Sri Lanka), with no improvement observed by 2021. We recommend cross-sector collaboration and school-based interventions to address regional disparities.

This study used the Korean National Health Insurance System database to examine how poststroke disability and stroke type affect the risk of diabetes mellitus (DM) in stroke survivors. Data for 217 157 stroke survivors and 312 138 matched controls were analyzed. The relative risk of DM was assessed using multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. Compared with the controls, stroke survivors had a 2.7-fold higher risk of newly diagnosed DM in the first year and a 15% increased risk thereafter. Severe disability was associated with an elevated DM risk in the first year, but the risk was not significant when a one-year lag period was applied. Ischemic stroke survivors showed significantly higher DM risk than controls, but no significant difference was observed for hemorrhagic stroke survivors. These findings suggest that the type and severity of stroke play crucial roles in the development of DM. Close monitoring and early screening for DM in stroke survivors, particularly those with severe disability or ischemic stroke, could help improve long-term outcomes.

The disease burden and government policy related to COVID-19 vary across countries. This study aims to explore whether these varieties have different impact on the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of health care personnel (HCP) in Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia. A structured questionnaire survey was conducted online in selected hospitals of Taiwan, Vietnam, and Indonesia between December 2021 and February 2022. A total of 3,528 valid questionnaires (1,645 from Taiwan, 1,481 from Vietnam, and 402 from Indonesia) were collected for analysis. Multivariate logistic regression analyses indicated significant differences in the KAP among HCP of the three countries. Sufficient knowledge was associated with country (Taiwan and Vietnam), age (>29 y/o), education level (bachelor), profession (physician and allied HCP), and faculty. Positive attitudes were associated with country (Vietnam), education level (below bachelor & bachelor) and age (>29 y/o). Healthy practices were associated with country (Vietnam and Indonesia), age (>29), female, and profession (physician). In conclusion, our results identify factors in relation to the KAP toward COVID-19. The data suggest disease burden and government policies may affect the KAP of HCP toward COVID-19.